Man found slain; Seattle police investigating

A Seattle man in his 50s was found dead in his home Monday, and homicide detectives were investigating.

Investigators released no details about who might have killed the man at his home in the 2000 block of 18th Avenue South. Police checked the residence after he missed work for several days.

An officer saw the man through a glass door with bodily injuries. A Fire Department crew was called about 10:30 a.m. Officers entered and made sure the home was clear of suspects, and firefighters determined the man was dead. The scene was contained for homicide investigators.

The King County Medical Examiner hasn’t released the victim’s name, pending an autopsy and family notification.

The man’s death, expected to be ruled a homicide, would be the fifth in Seattle this year and the second in June.

On June 19, prosecutors say 25-year-old Rahel Afewerki Sium was killed by Mussie E. Weldeyohannes, who had made threats to kill her before. Investigators say woman had moved to Washington and lived in a domestic violence shelter when Weldeyohannes, who has been charged with her murder, was incarcerated. Police say he killed Sium when her daughter was in the room. Weldeyohannes’ arraignment, where he is expected to enter a plea, is scheduled for July 7.

The first homicide this year was the Feb. 16 death of Robert Stabile, a vaudevillian entertainer who performed as Hokum W. Jeebs for decades. Prosecutors charged Angelo G. Felice, a 19-year-old transient, with Stabile’s murder. Felice has pleaded not guilty.

In the second case, Zachary Lewis was found beaten to death March 6 in vacant lot at East Republican Street and Federal Avenue East on Capitol Hill. In a brief statement released in mid-March, detectives said they are interested in speaking with anyone who may have seen or interacted with Lewis after 1 a.m. March 6 near Broadway.

On April 14, an employee at a South Seattle business fatally shot James Stapleton – a felon with a criminal history in several states – when police say he and another man were burglarizing the business. The shooter has not been arrested or charged.